The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1887-01-06
The Cowardly Assault on S. K.
SErother, at Springfield, Mo.

As The Gazette has seen proper tc
give a very ungentlemanly REPORT OF
the brutal and cowardly attack made
upon ). K. Strother, editor of the
Springfield, iMo.) Leader, on last Mon
day, by the O'Days, and who was a
late partner of the REFLECTOR. we
deem it best to give the following
clipped from the Leader of the Sd inst:
A Leader reporter obtained S. K.
Suother's version OF. the assault shortly
after the occurrence, which is substant-
tally as follows;
About O'Clock l was on nv way
to the office and stopped at the post
Office as usual. There l saw Ed O'Day
standing near the door. After getting
my mail L went on to my office. At
the corner of the Greene county Nation
al Bank l was met by John and Ed
O'Day. John O'Day asked me to come
into their office. replied that l would
as soon as took my books and papers
to the Leader Office. John O'Day re-
marked: No, come now; you won't be
hurt. l replied: Il am not afraid of
being hurt and will go with you now
After getting into the Office John O'Day
handed me written statement Ietract-
ing what l had said in the Leader.
that he had left Wisconsin with the
record OF a thief behind him, that I
knew the same to be false at the time
and that it was written for the PURPOSE
OF nJuring him. He wanted me to
sign his statement, which | refused to
do. He immediately struck at me with
his fist. l at once closed with him and
IN second or so had him on the floor
and was on top of him. At this juno
ture Ed O'Day pulled me off his brother
backward and kicked me with his foot
on the head. John O'Day was by
this time Oh his feet and, while
L was yet down, he struck
me over the head several times with a
heavy cane. 1 struggled to my feet and
tried to defend myself, but was brought
down again by heavy blow on the
head with a cane which laid open nv
scalp. John and Ed O'Day then began
striking and kicking me with boots.
fists, revOlvers and canes. Just at this |
Juncture John McGregor and Walter |
Crenshaw came into the room and at |
once interfered. The two O'Days had |
their revOlvers drawn and sWore that |
they intended to kill me unless l signed |
the paper above mentioned, Believing
that my life depended on it, and Yield
ing to persuasion, 1 signed it. l was
out by Messrs Crenshaw
and McGregOr and Immediately swore
out warrant before Justice Evans for
the arrest of my assailants. 1 have
nothing more to say beyond denouncing
the attack as brutal and cowardly in
the extreme, which no man of honor
and courage would have been guilty of.
| was totally unarmed, and the state
ment was signed under protest.
Shortly after the affray occurred, Mr..
Strother, accompanied by a. G. Cham
)erS, proceeded to the office of Justice
Evans and SwOre out warrant for Ed.
md John O'Day, charging them with
elOniOuS assault. 1t was given to con-
stable Thomas and he arrested John on
he train, who was in a sleeping car,
which left the station in few minutes
lfterward going east. Ed. conveyed
lin to the train in a buggy and was
IlSO arrested at the train. They were
DrOught over and recognized in the sum
# $500 each to appear before the circuit
curt. John McGregor, James Hayes
nd e.. NJ. Cox went their bond.
The above shows the ''Dude,r as the
iazette styles him, to be made of good
Material and fully equal and able to ,
ave done either one of the O'Days I'D
4 genteel manner if they had only !
ONE at him one at a time. And as TO ,
he O'Days "remodeling'' his head,
re can only say to the Gazette that if | !
Il the editorial heads of the Abilene
jim crOw'' sheet were put together ,
hat it would not then amount to as ,
luch as the seat of dude Strother's -,
ants. In the same issue the Leader :
ublishes two columns of court records ;
rom Wisconsin, showing O'Day's re- 2
ord to be dark one, and which fully +;
lstified him in making the charge
-hich he did, ''that John O'Day left
he record of thief behind him when =
e left Wisconsin,